Gujarat to become India's largest solar power producer

[Galaxy]

ADB Provides US$100M Loan To Help Gujarat Harness Solar Power

ADB Provides US$100M Loan To Help Gujarat Harness Solar Power

AsianScientist (Sep. 14, 2011) – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is providing a US$100 million loan to the Indian state of Gujarat to help accelerate the roll out of new large-scale solar power facilities.

ADB's loan is anticipated to help India realize its goal of building solar facilities with total generating capacity of 20,000 MW by 2022.
Funds for the Gujarat Solar Power Transmission Project will be used for a substation, transmission lines, and other equipment to collect and distribute solar power generated by plants in the Charanka Solar Park in Gujarat's Patan district.

More at ADB Provides US$100M Loan To Help Gujarat Harness Solar Power

This would be largest Solar Park in Asia.

 

[KS]

Solar power cells on Narmada canal to light up rural homes

Solar power cells on Narmada canal to light up rural homes - India - DNA

What was dismissed as an outlandish announcement by chief minister Narendra Modi is turning into reality. Gujarat is all set to become the first state in the country to generate solar power through panels mounted on a water body, the Narmada canal to be specific.

The Gujarat State Electricity Corporation Limited (GSECL) has undertaken the pilot project of 1 MW, under which solar panels will be installed atop the Narmada canal for generating power. The solar panels would be laid on around 1 km of the Narmada canal for generating 1 MW of solar power.

The solar panels are being installed atop the Narmada branch canal near Chandrasan village of Mehsana's Kadi taluka, around 75 km from Ahmedabad.

"This is a unique project. Something like this has not been undertaken in the country," state energy minister, Saurabh Patel, told DNA.
Chief minister Narendra Modi had first spoken about the plan to install solar panels atop Narmada canal at a function in Gandhinagar on October 3, but the announcement was greeted with a lot of skepticism. But, the project is now in advanced stages.

The engineering, procurement and construction contract for the project has been awarded to Sun Edison at a cost of Rs17.71 crore. This is slightly higher than a traditional solar plant, where panels are mounted on land, which costs in the region of Rs14 — 15 crore for 1 MW.
According to state government, the project would have multiple and lasting benefits. "Installation of panels on the canal will help in doing away with the need to acquire land. Evaporation of lakhs of litres of water will be prevented since the canal will be covered. And, we will generate clean energy," Patel said.

Another advantage of the project is that power generated will be supplied to villages alongside the canal, which will lead to lower transmission losses. Meanwhile, officials said that work on the project is progressing well.

"The project is in advanced stages of completion. We expect to complete it in the next two to three weeks, and start work on the next phase," Bhargav Mehta, director, Sun Edison, said. The second phase of the project envisages solar power generation capacity of 2 MW by installing solar panels atop the Narmada canal.

This man never ceases to amaze me. Hats off to his visionary leadership. :thumb:

 

[parijataka]

As India grapples with its growing pains, Hamish McDonald meets the polarising leader tipped as its next prime minister.
Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 04 2012

In Narendra Modi's office as chief minister of Gujarat state is a monitor relaying data and images of traffic on the busy highway that crosses the border with neighbouring Maharashtra state. Each state levies the same toll on trucks and cars plying these two concentrations of Indian industry and commerce. Yet Modi's toll gate on the Gujarat side collects 4 billion rupees (almost $80 million) more than the gate on the Maharashtra side. ''With technology I can see from my office what is going on,'' Modi says, with a laugh of delight. The tightening of revenue collection on the highway is one example of the revolution Modi has wrought in his decade as Gujarat's chief minister to make this arid state bordering Pakistan an example of good governance in India.

It has drawn investment in petroleum plants, steel mills and factories away from other states where chronic delays in site clearances, power shortages, labour unrest and corruption dog projects. Unlike most other states, where rolling blackouts are the norm, Gujarat has a surplus of electricity and is looking for projects to use it. With economic growth averaging about 10.5 per cent over Modi's decade, the state is increasingly looked upon as the model for a ''credible India'' - a play on the ''Incredible India'' slogan of the national tourism agency - where bureaucratic and political obstacles are cleared for sustained high growth.

And with this high regard, eyes are turned on Narendra Modi as the leader who may bring all of India into line. At 61, Modi is a youngster by Indian political standards. His party, the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, needs a new leader to face the national elections due in 2014. Its ranks are waiting impatiently for party chief Lal Krishna Advani, 84, to retire. A nationwide poll by magazine India Today has just found Modi the most popular choice to be India's next prime minister, albeit at only 24 per cent but still well ahead of the next choice, the Congress Party's dynastic scion Rahul Gandhi, preferred by 17 per cent.

The big caveat is Modi's leadership in Gujarat has been overshadowed by an anti-Muslim pogrom in February 2002, soon after he became chief minister, leading to persistent allegations state politicians and officials stood back and let it happen. It began with altercations between a trainload of Hindu zealots returning from a demonstration and local snack sellers, mostly Muslims, at a railway station in Godhra, a Gujarat town. A fire broke out on the train, killing 59 passengers. Hindu organisations linked to the BJP called statewide protests. Riots developed, with Muslim families being pulled out of their homes and butchered or burnt alive. The victims numbered 1247, mostly Muslims. The suspicions have kept Modi on a visa-ban list in the United States, although he has travelled to many other countries including Australia, where he has been a prime ministerial guest. In Gujarat, the Hindu majority have forgotten the 2002 riots or are in denial, says Swapan Dasgupta, a journalist who monitors the Hindu camp of Indian politics. ''But in other parts of India, Modi is seen on one hand as an ogre, on the other as a Hindu icon.''

To meet Modi at his official bungalow in Gandhinagar, the administrative centre just outside the state capital, Ahmedabad, is not to encounter an ogre, but a politician eager to explain managing change among Gujarat's 50 million people. At 10am on Sunday, Modi has been up for five hours, habit of a career as a cadre in the national volunteers corps Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, a powerful movement started in 1925 to instil a more militant patriotism among Hindus. It's also the legacy of a childhood in a low-income family. Unusually for a leader in the BJP, Modi is from a low caste, the Ghanchi, who were traditionally pressers of vegetable oils. With his brother, Modi ran a tea stall outside school hours before climbing the educational ladder to gain a master's degree in political science.

Modi's day starts with a scan of newspaper websites, then an hour of yoga and drill, time to update his blog and Twitter feeds, then a work day that ends late at night. ''For the last 20 years I've have not taken any vacation, seven days I am working,'' Modi says. ''Three days a week I travel, to get among the people and try to solve their problems.'' ''I have no personal habits,'' he says, meaning no vices or pastimes. Friends concur that Modi, who is unmarried, lives an austere, workaholic life. If he has one weakness, it is clothes. Modi likes to be well-dressed, appearing in an elegant kurta (long shirt) with a scarf draped around his neck. Today the kurta is lime green, with a faint grid pattern. The skin is youthful, the eyes clear, the grey beard well clipped.

Modi says part of his government's achievement simply derives from the stability brought by its long tenure, after decades of governments that lasted two to three years. But he claims credit for a focus on infrastructure and education, underpinning a famously entrepreneurial culture among Gujaratis, amplified by a huge diaspora resulting from earlier emigration to the far corners of the British empire and along Gulf trading routes. Indeed, Ahmedabad's gleaming new glass-and-steel airport terminal is thronged with expatriate families taking direct flights to the US, the cities of the Gulf, and Singapore. ''Since so many centuries the Gujaratis have seen the development of the world, so their expectations are also very high,'' Modi says.

In infrastructure, Modi has taken the Indian lead in private-public sector partnerships. As well as transport, power and water, he has pushed new types of infrastructure. There is a 2200-kilometre gas grid. Gujarat has the world's second-largest optical fibre network, with broadband connectivity in all its 18,000 villages. By bringing state electricity board employees into the picture - after what he says was a fake threat to privatise - and opening private partnerships, Modi has seen loads rise at power stations, line wastage and theft cut, and a persistent 25 billion rupee (then nearly $1 billion) annual deficit eliminated.'

'In this state we don't give free electricity to the farmers just to get the vote - I don't do that type of gimmick,'' Modi says. ''All my neighbouring states do it, and Congress in the last election promised free power. There is a lot of pressure on me, but in the interest of the state I would be ready to sacrifice my chief ministership on this.''With what is now a power surplus, Modi is trying to attract basic materials processing to Gujarat, desalination plants to augment limited fresh water supplies, and to extend drip-feed irrigation and greenhouse horticulture to the state's millions of small farmers.

Normally chief ministers ask Delhi for food subsidies and road funding. Two years ago, Modi wrote to the Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, asking him to provide Gujarat with its own satellite, to extend tele-medicine, long-distance education and farm support services. A month ago, Singh offered a wide band of capacity on a planned satellite, which Modi has accepted. Modi says he has also turned a desolate 1600kilometre coastline into an advantage, opening up ports through private-public partnerships so 80 per cent of India's private-sector maritime cargo now comes in and out of Gujarat.

Assurance of uninterrupted electricity and internet access has helped a campaign to boost quality of education, with all primary schools ranked in a simple scale of performance. And to fight corruption, Modi says he has emphasised clear and transparent policies. All tenders are placed on the internet, and all candidates for public service jobs must take an online exam, which is decisive. Teachers used to pay 200,000 to 300,000 rupees to get a transfer to an area of choice. Now transfers are decided in open annual meetings. The irony is Modi has shown reform in India is best driven at state level, raising questions about whether his performance can be replicated in Delhi. Indeed, the idea of turning India's system of delegated centralism into a true federalism is taking hold in the BJP. The party may win power, only to hand it out to the states.

Still, Modi may be the man to give the BJP the ''big idea'' it needs to take it into the 2014 election. ''[Hindu] identity politics is not going to play out, barring some major act of terrorism,'' says commentator Dasgupta. ''That was really flogged to death in the 1990s.'' Modi turns the old slogan of ''Ram Raj'' (the happy rule under the deity Ram) into a more secular theme. ''It's a term which the common man can understand,'' he says. ''What do we mean by Ram Raj? In a way it is a welfare state. ''Nowadays "¦ the country is in search of a very strong leadership "¦ a non-corrupt government. Its priority is good governance. Particularly the youth, they are fed up with this type of problems.''

On the Godhra incident, Modi pleads it broke out within two days of him winning a seat in the state assembly and then delivering a state budget. A former party official who had never run for election or held political office, he had been parachuted in from Delhi to take over a BJP government in disarray and coping with a large earthquake. When terrorists attacked a Hindu temple seven months later in 2002, and again set off a string of powerful bombs around Ahmedabad in 2007, he was more prepared and prevented any backlash against Muslims.''If you don't take this into account it's not justice towards me,'' Modi says. ''And after you take this into account it is up to you to decide what to say about me.''

Still, my question had asked if Modi felt any regrets about his handling of events, and he didn't express any. Most political analysts in Delhi believe Modi will soon be cleared of any direct culpability or negligence by the court and police inquiries now coming to conclusion. But the impression of a lack of sympathy for Muslims may remain. The BJP has overcome this problem in the past, chiefly by fielding the avuncular Atal Bihari Vajpayee, widely respected across party lines, as its candidate for prime minister. Its Congress rivals have pulled clear of the anti-Sikh pogrom led by its youth wing in November 1984 after the murder of then prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

Modi won't admit to ambition for the prime ministership. But he has two constituencies to win over. One is his own party. Much of the continued criticism over Godhra is thought to derive from within the BJP. Modi has been ruthless in cutting party hangers-on out of the spoils of government. Even the RSS volunteer corps has been marginalised, says Dasgupta. ''He is a Thatcher. He is ruthless cutting others down to size "¦ It's like he's created a new BJP in his own image.'' The other is the wider voter pool of India. ''The BJP's most popular leader is undoubtedly Narendra Modi,'' Dasgupta says. ''But he is also polarising.He enthuses the committed, but his ability to draw the incremental vote, so important in winning elections, is untested outside Gujarat.''

 

[Bangalorean]

As India grapples with its growing pains, Hamish McDonald meets the polarising leader tipped as its next prime minister.
Sydney Morning Herald, Feb 04 2012

'In this state we don't give free electricity to the farmers just to get the vote - I don't do that type of gimmick,'' Modi says. ''All my neighbouring states do it, and Congress in the last election promised free power. There is a lot of pressure on me, but in the interest of the state I would be ready to sacrifice my chief ministership on this.''With what is now a power surplus, Modi is trying to attract basic materials processing to Gujarat, desalination plants to augment limited fresh water supplies, and to extend drip-feed irrigation and greenhouse horticulture to the state's millions of small farmers.

Epic. :thumb:

I hope more politicians begin to grow some good sense. I hate this freebie-subsidy culture that is getting entrenched in India.

The nation will get ruined with "free power" type of freebies being doled out by other politicians.

 

[KS]

Its unfair on the part of the Gujjus to monopolize Modi.

Send him to Delhi so that all Indians turn benefactors.

 

[parijataka]

Gujarat has turned its problem areas into assets - arid wastelands used for solar power generation.

Gujarat to become India's largest solar power producer
Gandhinagar, April 17: Commercially exploiting large tracts of wasteland, Gujarat is set to emerge as India's largest solar power destination. The Chief Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, will dedicate 600 MW of solar power projects to the nation on Thursday.

Currently, India's total solar power production is nearly 900 MW, two-thirds of which will be produced by Gujarat alone.

On Thursday, Mr Modi will launch India's first Solar Power Park with generation capacity of 500 MW in 3,000 acres Charanka village, Randhanpur taluka, in Patan district. Currently, it has an aggregated operational capacity of 214 MW of solar power projects commissioned at a single location. The Patan ceremony will be attended by representatives from Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Italy, Hong Kong, Singapore, the UK and the US.

The Gujarat Solar Park is an innovative concept of the State Government to promote solar installations in which it allocated developed land to the project developers with the entire infrastructure including power evacuation, roads and water for commissioning of the power project put on fast track.

Under its Solar Power Policy, the State Government had signed up memorandums of understanding for generation of 968.5 MW of solar power by December and also took an initiative to launch the Gujarat Solar Park with a vision to build it as the world's largest solar power park. Its foundation stone was laid in December 2010.

The dedication ceremony will be followed by the 'India Solar Summit 2012: Investment and Technology Expo' to be held in Gandhinagar on April 20 and 21, said Mr. D.J. Pandian, Principal Secretary, Energy and Petrochemicals Department.

 

[ejazr]

This is a good move.

Other states like Rajasthan which also have high levels of Sun Shine can be solar power hubs and this will help in dampening demand on fossil fuels.

 

[Virendra]

Rajasthan government is not bullish on such initiatives or policies ejaz Specially the Congress Governments of past few decades. Vasundhara Raje was much more aggressive on such matters.
With the kind of aims we have for the coming decades, dependence on Oil will increasingly become a bottleneck. Unconventional sources ought to be chased now.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[Galaxy]

Historic day as Gujarat dedicates 600 MW solar power to the nation!

Roof-top solar scheme to be emulated in Rajkot, Surat, Vadodara and BhavnagarIn a yet more stride in Gujarat's bid to become a solar capital, the Chief Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate 600 MW solar power generation capacity to the nation on April 19 at Charanka village of Patan district.

It is noteworthy that Gujarat government has come up with various initiatives in the field on non-conventional energy sources with a view to promote environment-friendly industrial development. Gujarat was the first state to launch a full-fledged climate department and lauched a comprehensive solar policy in 2009 to address growing environmental concerns. It has also been the first state in India to achieve the mandatory requirement of energy generated from renewable resources under Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO). Gujarat has been a leader in solar power generation and contributes 2/3rd of the 900 MW power generated in the country.

The State has commissioned the Asia's biggest solar park at Charanka village. The park is already generating 214 MW solar power out of its total power generation capacity of 500 MW. The park has been functioning on multi-developers and multi-beneficiaries paradigm and has been awarded for being the most innovative and environment-friendly project by the CII.

With a view to make Gandhinagar a solar city, the State government has launched roof-top solar power generation scheme. Under this scheme, the State has planned to generate five megawatt of solar power by putting solar panels on about 50 state government buildings and on 500 private buildings. The State has also a plan to emulate this project in Rajkot, Surat, Bhavnagar and Vadodara in 2012-13.

In a novel initiative, the State has planned to generate solar power by putting solar panels on the Narmada canal branches. As a part of this scheme, the State has already commissioned one megawatt solar plant at the Narmada canal near Chandrasan area of Anand taluka. This has helped to stop 90,000 liter water of Narmada river from evaporating.

Apart from this, the State government has also come with the initiatives for exploiting the water of Narmada river from evaporating.Apart from this, the State government has also come with the initiatives for exploiting the wind and tidal energies in line with its approach of promoting renewable energy sources in the power generation.

http://www.narendramodi.in/cm-to-dedicate-600-mw-solar-power-generation-capacity-to-the-nation/

 

[ejazr]

@Virendra,

Solar power would be a no brainer for Rajasthan. I don't see why Congress would look at it any different. It would be foolish for them to not take advantage of this. I did some google searching and found a few articles were Rajasthan has also started ramping up its Solar power project with a plan to generate 11GW in the next 10-12 years. So if not before, atleast now they have started focussing on Solar power. (Solar Energy in Rajasthan - Land of Sand Dune is now A Solar Hub)

And here was an article earlier about the largest solar power plant in India coming online in Rajasthan recently in Feb
http://defenceforumindia.com/forum/...-power-plant-starts-production-rajasthan.html


Both of these states have the highest amount of sunshine and they should both have a healthy competition in becoming the largest solar power producers in India.

Some more info on the GoI policy on the National Solar mission under the renewable reousrces ministry. It seems that the GoI has instated some subsidies on setting up solar power plants on a PPP basis of build operate transfer. Getting the good old private sector involved rather than laucnhing another PSU to build solar power plants.
Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Mission - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[trackwhack]

The only problem so far is that a lot of these panels are coming from China because our industry has yet to reach a scale where we are cost competitive. GOI, instead of subsidizing the service providers should provide tax exemption to the manufacturers for all domestic inventory. Let them tax them if they export it but for all the capacity addition within the country the manufacturers should get zero tax. Then they will scale up and kick the Chinese out of here.

 

[noob101]

The only problem so far is that a lot of these panels are coming from China because our industry has yet to reach a scale where we are cost competitive. GOI, instead of subsidizing the service providers should provide tax exemption to the manufacturers for all domestic inventory. Let them tax them if they export it but for all the capacity addition within the country the manufacturers should get zero tax. Then they will scale up and kick the Chinese out of here.

I don't know if our Industry is going to meet the demand at present, most Industries take time to take off in India for example cars... for 40 years we had only 2 manufacturers, now we have too many to count even luxury cars like Benz.... more recently mobile phones, India use to be Nokia's backyard but now Karbon and Micromax have taken over.....

I hope that this project become really successful as then it will move other states and local governments to make similar moves, initally there we might have to import from china but as times goes on India will start producing them ourselves..... after all there is no shortage of people who want to make money in India......

 

[Yusuf]

Patan district is where by native town belongs. I hope my town gets uninterrupted power supply.

India is making solar panels and there is great incentive to do so too. Emvee solar has made a huge solar panel manufacturing facility in Karnataka.

 

[trackwhack]

I don't know if our Industry is going to meet the demand at present, most Industries take time to take off in India for example cars... for 40 years we had only 2 manufacturers, now we have too many to count even luxury cars like Benz.... more recently mobile phones, India use to be Nokia's backyard but now Karbon and Micromax have taken over.....

I hope that this project become really successful as then it will move other states and local governments to make similar moves, initally there we might have to import from china but as times goes on India will start producing them ourselves..... after all there is no shortage of people who want to make money in India......

We dont have a choice, we cant wait 40 years for this industry to scale. That will cost us hundreds of billions in forex losses to China as well as lost export opportunities. With the right policy framework we can catch up and surpass China in this industry and become world leader in solar power.

Correct Yusuf, even Moser Baer is expanding capacity. GOI should support these guys and encourage them to expand faster.

 

[The Messiah]

I just realised that Moser Baer is an Indian company!

 

[Yusuf]

I remember watching either on discovery or NGC, an Israeli solar power plant using mirrors to direct sun rays on a central tower which then heated water to steam which drives a turbine. Israel is a leader in solar power. India could learn a lot from them.

 

[trackwhack]

I just realised that Moser Baer is an Indian company!

Moser Baer is a Delhi company man. They are the largest manufacturers of storage discs in the world and companies like Sony buy from them and put their sticker on it. Which planet are you on Delhi boy?

Yusuf, these plants are becoming more common now. They use the reflected beams to generate superheated steam that drives turbines. The other advantage with such systems is storaage. They can store steam for use at night.

 

[panduranghari]

Isn't that in Espana?

 

[trackwhack]

Not sure bro, just pulled a random image off the net.

 

[SPIEZ]

Moser Baer is a Delhi company man. They are the largest manufacturers of storage discs in the world and companies like Sony buy from them and put their sticker on it. Which planet are you on Delhi boy?

Yusuf, these plants are becoming more common now. They use the reflected beams to generate superheated steam that drives turbines. The other advantage with such systems is storaage. They can store steam for use at night.

They have more advantages and disadvantages.
They cost factor is the most important benefit in that. Solar power has never picked up because of the cost.
The disadvantage will be large areas would required for the generation of power.
BTW, this is called as concentrated solar power and not photovoltaic as in the one in Gujarat.